2007 Great Place to Work Award Announced

<p><b>San Francisco &mdash; Jan. 29</b><br />Winners of the 2007 Great Place to Work Awards have been announced by Great Place to Work Institute, a San-Francisco based global research and consulting firm. </p><p>The annual Great Place to Work Awards are a distinctive way Great Place to Work Institute recognizes the accomplishments of organizations that have implemented creative and effective approaches to developing trust, pride and camaraderie within their workplaces.<br /><br />Winners include companies on the 2007 &quot;100 Best Companies to Work For&quot; list, produced by Great Place to Work Institute and published in <b>Fortune </b>magazine, and the 2006 &quot;50 Best Small &amp; Medium Companies to Work for in America,&quot; produced by Great Place to Work Institute and published by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) in <b>HR Magazine.<br /><br /></b>Companies were honored for exemplary best practices focused on one of the five dimensions of the Great Place to Work Model: credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie. The awards ceremony will be Thursday, April 18 in Los Angeles as part of the 2007 Great Place to Work Conference.<br /><br />The 2007 Great Place to Work&reg; Award Winners are:<br /></p><ul><li><b>Great Place to Work Award for Credibility</b></li></ul><p><b>&nbsp;QUALCOMM, No. 14 on the 2007 &ldquo;100 Best&rdquo; List</b></p><p>QUALCOMM is being recognized for empowering employees to be a part of their culture of innovation, which is so critical to the success of the business. Particularly, QUALCOMM is commended for enabling two-way communication by which employees can share their ideas with the company&rsquo;s senior leaders and understand how innovation impacts both the success of the business and their own professional growth and development at QUALCOMM.<br /></p><ul><li><b>Great Place to Work Award for Respect</b></li></ul><p><b>Lincoln Plating, No. 11 Medium-sized Company on the 2006 &ldquo;50 Best Small &amp; Medium&ldquo; List</b></p><p>Lincoln Plating is being recognized for its culture of caring that is best exemplified in its commitment to and successful implementation of employee wellness and safety programs. From ongoing health education seminars and personal wellness profiles to gym reimbursement, mandatory quarterly physicals and a tobacco-cessation program, employees know the company cares about their health and well-being.<br /></p><ul><li><b>Great Place to Work Award for Fairness</b></li></ul><p><b>Arnold &amp; Porter, No. 26 on the 2007 &ldquo;100 Best&rdquo; List</b></p><p>Arnold &amp; Porter is being recognized for its inclusive and comprehensive diversity initiatives. In particular, we commend the mandatory diversity-training program that is provided annually in all offices, for all employees, and the diversity leadership yraining program for partners and administrative staff who hold leadership positions in the firm. This effort to integrate diversity education into the fabric of the organization&rsquo;s culture is truly exemplary and was noted positively by employees in their comments on the employee survey used to select the &ldquo;100 Best&rdquo; list.<br /></p><ul><li><b>Great Place to Work Award for Pride</b></li></ul><p><b>Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI), No. 27 on the 2007 &ldquo;100 Best&rdquo; List</b></p><p>REI is being recognized for its employee-initiated philanthropic efforts focused on &ldquo;greening&rdquo; both the business and the communities in which REI works. These efforts benefit the local environments where contributions are made and also engender the tremendous pride employees have in their ability to have a positive impact on the environment through the business.<br /></p><ul><li><b>Great Place to Work Award for Camaraderie</b></li></ul><p><b>David Weekley Homes, No. 12 on the 2007 &ldquo;100 Best&rdquo; List</b></p><p>David Weekley Homes is being recognized for the design and implementation of a unique set of welcoming practices for new hires. From the initial concept of the company as a place to enhance people&rsquo;s lives to the new-team member orientation and training, including the &quot;receiving line&quot; during the Weekly 101 program, David Weekley Homes starts people off right.</p>